Disclaimer: I don't own Castle. The only profit being made is my own amusement (and hopefully yours).
Epilogue: January
"You work on weekends now?" Richard demands as soon as he picks up the phone.
Donna suddenly wishes she hadn't chosen to take her vacation in the two weeks before her big article is due. "Sorry. Is this a bad time?"
"No, it's okay. Just keep it quick. Sunday brunch with the family," he explains.
"Mmm," Donna says absently. "That's nice."
In the background, she hears someone singing and playing the theme of Guys and Dolls at the piano. She can also make out a woman's voice, saying something like, "Alexis, can you pass me the eggs? And Dad, I think the bacon's almost ready." (This confuses her a little; Richard's never mentioned having a sister or a father.)
"I'm sorry about Gina," Donna begins.
"How did you know about that? Oh, that's right. I remember reading your article. She's seeing Dr. Michaels from Mostly Medical—Jonathan Taylor, right?"
"Yep, Jonathan Taylor. The hottest television doctor ever. He's got nothing on you, Richard, of course," Donna adds quickly.
Richard laughs. "I'm not so sure about that. Mother put up posters of him in her bedroom. I think she's planning on robbing the cradle."
The piano stops abruptly and Donna can hear someone shouting an indignant "Hey!"
Richard continues, sounding especially animated, "And my friend—she actually dated a surgeon, you know, and she says—"
She doesn't get to hear this friend's opinion on the handsome Jonathan Taylor, because Richard's suddenly yelling, "Apples! Apples!"
(Donna is relatively certain this outburst has nothing to do with the Sunday brunch menu, but she decides not to ask.)
"So," she says, when he finally quiets down, "new year, new eligible bachelor list. Best offer: number four. What do you say?"
"You can take me out of your phone book," he tells her, sounding more cheerful than she's ever heard him before. "Permanently."
FIN (really).
Author's note: Thank you to everyone who's been following this story and especially to those who took the time to review. I'm so flattered by your words of encouragement and hope that you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! If you liked my work, I strongly recommend checking out the Castle pieces on my Favorites list. My dream is to one day be as talented as these authors—every single story is beautifully written and proofread, shows instead of tells, features great banter, and explores character relationships in a plausible way, and all except one or two are complete.